Compensation - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Nurses Say AI Isn’t Ready to Replace Human Workers

March 25, 2025

Nursing has always been a challenging career, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented levels of stress, fatigue, and burnout. More than 100,000 nurses left the workforce during the pandemic — the biggest staffing drop in 40 years. The shortage will only worsen as the U.S. population ages and experienced nurses start to retire. Government estimates show that there will be more than 190,000 new openings for nurses every year through 2032. As hospitals look for a solution to chronic understaffing, Continue reading →

Ethics, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Compensation, Hiring, Artificial Intelligence, Supply & Demand, Healthcare, AI, Nursing

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] Prisoners Fight L.A. Fires for Less Than $2 an Hour

January 17, 2025

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For weeks, the Los Angeles area has been battling enormous fires that have caused billions of dollars in damage while thousands of residents evacuate. Along with a large force of professional firefighters, California prison laborers are also taking on the blazes for a chance to shave some time off their sentences. They also receive some compensation, often just a couple dollars an hour. This short video shows incarcerated individuals at work actively fighting fires as well as performing routine maintenance Continue reading →

Motivation, Operations Management, Ethics, Labor Relations, Compensation, California, Crisis management, Natural Disasters

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Videos

Limp Bizkit Sues Record Company for $200 Million

October 17, 2024

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In the 1980s, record companies started releasing music on compact discs after a century of producing vinyl albums. Driven by new digital technology, the music business soon exploded into a billion dollar industry. But with big budgets came big fights over profits between record companies and recording artists. For example, the R&B group TLC blamed an unfair contract with their record label when they filed for bankruptcy in the 1990s despite selling 65 million records. Musical innovator Prince temporarily changed Continue reading →

Motivation, Ethics, Labor Relations, Compensation, Product Development, Streaming, Product Distribution

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

U.S. Port Strike Ends Quickly but Could Come Back

October 11, 2024

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Over the last few months, companies around the globe kept a close eye on American ports as a key union agreement neared its expiration date. The International Longshoremen’s Association, a union representing 50,000 members, demanded wage increases that met resistance from management. Unable to reach an agreement, the union went on strike at the beginning of last week.

But not for long. Just three days after longshoremen at East and Gulf Coast ports walked out on their jobs, employers represented Continue reading →

[VIDEO] Shein’s Controversial Business Model Keeps Prices Low

December 1, 2023

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The Chinese e-commerce giant Shein (pronounced Shee-In) controls more than 40 percent of the U.S. fast fashion market, with more than $8 billion in sales last year. This video explores how the retailer consistently churns out cheap shirts and dresses, which includes accusations of labor exploitation that has tarnished Shein’s image with some shoppers.

Questions:

How does Shein’s “small batch” production strategy differ from other clothing companies?
How has Shein tried to recover its reputation with U.S. consumers? Do Continue reading →

[VIDEO] How Tipping Culture Took Over the U.S.

October 27, 2023

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From counter service restaurants to furniture stores, Americans are prompted to leave a tip for nearly every purchase they make. Along with looking at the history of tipping in the U.S., this video explains “price partitioning” and how it influences the ways that consumers view prices, showing that tipping is likely here to stay despite being consistently unpopular.

Questions:

What is price partitioning, and how does it influence consumers’ views on prices?
Do you think businesses should phase Continue reading →

Motivation, Entrepreneurship, Compensation, Pricing, Product Distribution, Food & Drink, Supply & Demand

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Videos

[VIDEO] How Economists Use Working Hours as a Recession Indicator

July 21, 2023

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American companies have been hiring lots of new employees this year, making economists hopeful that the country will not experience a recession anytime soon. Still, other experts claim that increased hiring is not as reliable of an economic indicator as some think. The video below explains how total working hours can provide a more detailed picture of the country’s economic health and why fears of an incoming recession could be justified.

Questions:

How do economists use “hours worked” as Continue reading →

Economics, Operations Management, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Compensation, Recession

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Videos

[VIDEO] How Streaming Changed the Business of TV Writing

June 15, 2023

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The Writers Guild of America has been on strike for more than a month and a half as they continue to demand better working conditions in modern Hollywood. This video takes an in-depth look at how streaming services like Netflix and Hulu completely changed the business of writing for television, from shorter schedules and smaller residual checks to depriving writers of vital experience by keeping them off set.

Questions:

How does spending time “on set” allow writers to gain Continue reading →

Operations Management, Ethics, Training, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Compensation, Entertainment, Streaming, Television, Product Distribution

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

Customers Question Ethics of Self-Checkout Tipping

May 31, 2023

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The Covid-19 pandemic ushered in a new era of zero-contact transactions, with self-checkout terminals becoming ubiquitous in American grocery stores, big box retailers, sports stadiums, and many other businesses. While these stations can be convenient for customers and cost-effective for companies, there’s one feature that some people are not too happy about: prompts to leave a tip. “They’re cutting labor costs by doing self-checkout. So what’s the point of asking for a tip? And where is it going?” said Ishita Continue reading →

Marketing, Operations Management, Ethics, Compensation, Product Development, Product Distribution, Tipping, Self-checkout

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

[VIDEO] Why is Everything Getting So Expensive?

March 10, 2023

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Prices on everyday products like groceries and diapers have increased dramatically in the last couple of years, with inflation often being identified as the culprit. This video takes a close look at the potential causes of the post-pandemic trend of rising inflation, examining why supply chain issues and plain old markups could be responsible for ever-increasing prices.

Questions:

What are the potential causes of inflation outlined in this video? Which factor do you think is the most likely cause Continue reading →